This accession consists of eight digital scans of original photographs belonging to Russian war vet Arkady Novokolsky.The photographs include a portait of Novokolsky in military dress, several photos taken during the Second World War and a family photograph from the 1920s.

Custodial History

The original records were loaned to the Archives for copying as part of the Russian Jewish War Veterans oral history program. They were returned to the donor.

Administrative History

Arkady Novokolsky was born in 1921 in Voznesensk, Ukraine. He was eighteeen years of age when the Second World War began and when he enlisted in the Military Aviation Navigation school in Krasnodar. He was later diagnosed with colour blindness, a condition which marked him as unfit for military service. However, he was later sent to a military technical school in Moscow and graduated with the rank of Lieutenant. He served in West Belarus as part of the Baranovichi Reconnaissance Party, assigned to process and decipher air photography. In 1944 he was sent to study at the Zhukovsky Military Academy and was then sent to Vilnius, Lithuania where he lived for 37 years until immigrating to Canada in 1981.

Use Conditions

Copyright is in the public domain and permission for use is not required. Please credit the Ontario Jewish Archives as the source of the photograph.

This accession consists of digital copies of several photograhps and documents related to the military career and the famiy of Eugene Katz. Included are two photos of Katz in military dress, one family photo, two photos and an accompanying letter about a memorial to his brother Ephraim, a portrait of Katz and his wife Mara and a few scanned copies of commemorative and Russian war medal booklets, which originally accompanied the medals bestowed on Katz.

Custodial History

The original records are in the possession of the donor. They were loaned to the Archives for copying as part of the Russian Jewish War Vet oral history program and were returned to the donor.

Administrative History

Eugene (Zalman) Katz was born in Vilnius, Latvia in 1925. He was fifteen years old at the onset of the Second World War and witnessed the destruction of his village, Disna, and the murder of his entire family by the Nazis. Katz was one of only twelve people to escape. He later became a partisan and then enlisted in the Soviet army, participating in battles near Konigsberg and Belarus. He was a machine-gunner in the infantry and artillery and helped halt a number of German attacks, including shooting down two tanks. For his heroism, he was decorated with eighteen medals, including the prestigious medal for Courage.

Use Conditions

Copyright may not be held by the Ontario Jewish Archives. It is the responsibility of the researcher to obtain permission prior to use.

This accession consists of digital copies of two photographs and two documents related to the military career of Russian war vet, Shlomo Mushkat. The phtoographs are two portaits of Mushkat in military dress and the documents are a letter detailing his participation in the war as well as a letter from the Ukrainian Embassy on the 65th anniversary of the end of the war.

Custodial History

The original records are in the possession of the donor. They were loaned to the Archives for copying as part of the Russian Jewish War Vet oral history program.

Administrative History

Shlomo Zalmanovich Mushkat was born in Vilnius, Lithuania. In 1940, he was drafted into the Soviet Army and a year later he was sent to the front. He was wounded in battle in 1941, but after recuperating in hospital was again sent back to the front. He participated in the battles of Smolensk and Leningrad. He received many medals for liberating Russian territories and cities, inlcuidng the Order of Glory.

This accession consists of one audio cassette of an inteview with Yiddish translator, Miriam Beckerman. The interivew was conducted by Myrna Levy of the Jewish Genealogical Society of Canada (Toronto). There is an accompanying transcript attached to the accession record.

Administrative History

Miriam Beckerman (nee Dashkin) is a Yiddish literature translator. She attended the Farband Folkshule in Toronto during the 1930s and later worked as a bilingual secretary (Yiddish and English) at the Ontario region, Canadian Jewish Congress. In 1946, she travelled to Israel where she met her husband, Moshe Beckerman, at a kibbutz. The couple and their children emigrated from Israel to Toronto in 1952.

Beckerman continues to work as a Yiddish translator for individuals, scholars and institutions. She has a number of published translations, including her recent collaborative work "A Thousand Threads: a story through Yiddish letters." Her work has been recognized by the Dora Teitelboim Foundation of Coral Gables, Florida. Her husband Moshe passed away in 1993.

This accession consists of one injury certificate for Russian Jewish war veteran Yaacov Rats. The certificate is dated 26 August 1943, and is in reference to an arm injury caused by a piece of shrapnel.

Custodial History

Donor has original reocrd. It was loaned to the Archives to be copied and returned as part of the Russian Jewish War Veterans oral history program.

Administrative History

Yakov Lvovich Rats was born in 1923 in Vitebsk, Belarus. At the age of one, his parents moved the family to Leningrad. Rats was drafted into the Russian army on 15 July 1941 and was trasported to a military college in Ulianovsk. After college, he was sent to the front and actively served until 1943, when he was wounded by a piece of shrapnel. Rats then served on the home front at a tank college. In 1946, he enrolled in a military tank academy and upon graduation in 1952 he returend to the army until his service retirement in 1966. In 1991, he moved from Leningrad to Israel and then in 2003, he immigrated to Canada.

Accession consists of records documenting the personal and professional activities of Ben Kayfetz. Personal records include correspondence with family and friends, Kayfetz's high school examination reports, and speeches, invitations and other material relating to a tribute dinner for Kayfetz. Personal records also include correspondence about the Ben Kayfetz Scholarship Fund at the University of Toronto.

Professional records include articles, book reviews and newspaper clippings written by Kayfetz, correspondence, lecture notes, speeches and transcripts for Kayfetz's CHIN Radio broadcasts. Professional records also include notes from Kayfetz's interview of Arthur Gelber, obituaries written by Kayfetz for Frank Shuster and Ben Lappin, and early teaching contracts with the Huntsville Board of Education. Finally, professional records include a CD that contains records transferred over from Kayfetz's old computer floppy disks and one audio recording of a CBC Radio broadcast featuring the Yiddish Luncheon Club.

Administrative History

Benjamin Gershon Kayfetz was born on December 24, 1916 in Toronto, graduating from the University of Toronto in 1939, with a B.A. in modern languages. Between the years 1941 and 1943, he worked as a high school teacher in Huntsville and Niagara Falls. In 1943, he joined the war effort, working for the Department of National Defense in Postal Censorship and was responsible for reviewing prisoner of war mail. After the war, Kayfetz traveled to British Occupied Germany where he worked as a censor of telecommunications with the Control Commission until 1947.
Upon returning to Toronto, he was hired as the National Director of Community Relations by the Canadian Jewish Congress (CJC), and as the Executive (National) Director of the Joint Community Relations Committee (JCRC), a CJC - B'nai B'rith cooperative organization. He also served as the Central Region Executive Director of the CJC between 1973 and 1978. During his tenure, he worked with various churches, unions and minority groups to develop anti-discrimination laws and for the protection of minority and religious rights. Kayfetz was also actively involved in promoting the welfare of Jewish Communities worldwide, and made visits to Cuba in 1962 and 1965, and Russia in 1985, to study and report on the state of these Jewish Communities. After his retirement in 1985, he was awarded the Samuel Bronfman Medal by the Canadian Jewish Congress. In recognition of his efforts to promote Human Rights, he was also awarded the Order of Canada in 1986.

In addition to his professional activities, Kayfetz wrote articles for various Jewish publications under both his own name and the pseudonym, Gershon B. Newman, and gave a weekly radio address on CHIN radio addressing various contemporary Jewish issues. He was also actively involved in the Toronto Jewish Historical Society (serving as its president), Canadian Jewish Historical Society and Yiddish Luncheon Circle. Ben Kayfetz died in 2002 and is survived by his wife Eva.

Use Conditions

Partially closed. Researchers must receive permission from the OJA Director prior to accessing some of the records.

Nachman (Nathan) Gittelmacher was born in Kiev, Ukraine in 1898, the son of Shloima and Mattie Gittelmacher. Suffering terribly during the pogroms of 1918 and 1920, he fled from place to place and then emigrated to Canada in 1921. Trained as a photographer in Europe, he opened his own photography studio in Toronto in 1922, called Elite Studios. First located at 513 Queen Street West, he soon moved to 615 Queen Street West. Nathan serviced a largely Jewish clientele, photographing weddings, bar mitzvahs, as well as Jewish community events.

Nathan was married to Nina Sokoloff and they had three sons and a daughter: Louis (Lou), Albert (Al), Jack, and Ruth.

During the early 1940s, the family legally changed their name from Gittelmacher to Gilbert and subsequently altered the name of the business to Gilbert Studios. When Nathan moved to the United States, Al, who had been working there since a young age, took over the business and under his management it thrived. In order to accommodate his growing clientele, he moved the studio to Eglinton Avenue and later to 170 Davenport Road, where it is situated today.

Al made a name for himself as a portrait photographer, using natural light in innovative ways to create more natural looking portraits. Al’s primary work involved producing portraits of families, weddings, bar mitzvahs, special events and dinners. Most of his early clients were from the Jewish community. In turn, he also was paid to produce portraits of local entrepreneurs, and his multi-year contract with the city, gave him sole responsibility for the production of portraits of the mayors and councilmen and women. He later branched out beyond the Jewish community, and began to produce images of businessmen and leaders from the Italian community in Toronto.

In addition to the paid contracts involving local personalities and groups, Al Gilbert has also produced many artistic portraits of local, national and international celebrities, artists and leaders such as: Wayne and Shuster, Howie Mandel, Oscar Peterson, Frank Sinatra, Duke Ellington, Robertson Davies, several Canadian prime ministers as well as Prince Charles, all of the Israeli prime ministers, which were made into stamps by the Israeli government, and finally, the last Pope. Gilbert’s work therefore captures a huge range of individuals from the ordinary bride to extraordinary world leaders.

Al has won many awards as well as accolades from his peers throughout his career. He is the three-time recipient of the prestigious Professional Photographers of Canada (PPOC) Photographer of the year honour. He has been named Fellow of the photographic societies in Canada, Britain and the United States. In 1990, he was awarded the Order of Canada. In January 2007, the Professional Photographers of America presented him with their Lifetime Achievement Award. This award is the highest honor PPA can bestow on a person for their body of work and influence on professional photography.

Use Conditions

Copyright is not held by the Ontario Jewish Archives. It is the responsibility of the researcher to obtain permission prior to use.

Nachman (Nathan) Gittelmacher was born in Kiev, Ukraine in 1898, the son of Shloima and Mattie Gittelmacher. Suffering terribly during the pogroms of 1918 and 1920, he fled from place to place and then emigrated to Canada in 1921. Trained as a photographer in Europe, he opened his own photography studio in Toronto in 1922, called Elite Studios. First located at 513 Queen Street West, he soon moved to 615 Queen Street West. Nathan serviced a largely Jewish clientele, photographing weddings, bar mitzvahs, as well as Jewish community events.

Nathan was married to Nina Sokoloff and they had three sons and a daughter: Louis (Lou), Albert (Al), Jack, and Ruth.

During the early 1940s, the family legally changed their name from Gittelmacher to Gilbert and subsequently altered the name of the business to Gilbert Studios. When Nathan moved to the United States, Al, who had been working there since a young age, took over the business and under his management it thrived. In order to accommodate his growing clientele, he moved the studio to Eglinton Avenue and later to 170 Davenport Road, where it is situated today.

Al made a name for himself as a portrait photographer, using natural light in innovative ways to create more natural looking portraits. Al’s primary work involved producing portraits of families, weddings, bar mitzvahs, special events and dinners. Most of his early clients were from the Jewish community. In turn, he also was paid to produce portraits of local entrepreneurs, and his multi-year contract with the city, gave him sole responsibility for the production of portraits of the mayors and councilmen and women. He later branched out beyond the Jewish community, and began to produce images of businessmen and leaders from the Italian community in Toronto.

In addition to the paid contracts involving local personalities and groups, Al Gilbert has also produced many artistic portraits of local, national and international celebrities, artists and leaders such as: Wayne and Shuster, Howie Mandel, Oscar Peterson, Frank Sinatra, Duke Ellington, Robertson Davies, several Canadian prime ministers as well as Prince Charles, all of the Israeli prime ministers, which were made into stamps by the Israeli government, and finally, the last Pope. Gilbert’s work therefore captures a huge range of individuals from the ordinary bride to extraordinary world leaders.

Al has won many awards as well as accolades from his peers throughout his career. He is the three-time recipient of the prestigious Professional Photographers of Canada (PPOC) Photographer of the year honour. He has been named Fellow of the photographic societies in Canada, Britain and the United States. In 1990, he was awarded the Order of Canada. In January 2007, the Professional Photographers of America presented him with their Lifetime Achievement Award. This award is the highest honor PPA can bestow on a person for their body of work and influence on professional photography.

Use Conditions

Copyright is not held by the Ontario Jewish Archives. It is the responsibility of the researcher to obtain permission prior to use.

Nachman (Nathan) Gittelmacher was born in Kiev, Ukraine in 1898, the son of Shloima and Mattie Gittelmacher. Suffering terribly during the pogroms of 1918 and 1920, he fled from place to place and then emigrated to Canada in 1921. Trained as a photographer in Europe, he opened his own photography studio in Toronto in 1922, called Elite Studios. First located at 513 Queen Street West, he soon moved to 615 Queen Street West. Nathan serviced a largely Jewish clientele, photographing weddings, bar mitzvahs, as well as Jewish community events.

Nathan was married to Nina Sokoloff and they had three sons and a daughter: Louis (Lou), Albert (Al), Jack, and Ruth.

During the early 1940s, the family legally changed their name from Gittelmacher to Gilbert and subsequently altered the name of the business to Gilbert Studios. When Nathan moved to the United States, Al, who had been working there since a young age, took over the business and under his management it thrived. In order to accommodate his growing clientele, he moved the studio to Eglinton Avenue and later to 170 Davenport Road, where it is situated today.

Al made a name for himself as a portrait photographer, using natural light in innovative ways to create more natural looking portraits. Al’s primary work involved producing portraits of families, weddings, bar mitzvahs, special events and dinners. Most of his early clients were from the Jewish community. In turn, he also was paid to produce portraits of local entrepreneurs, and his multi-year contract with the city, gave him sole responsibility for the production of portraits of the mayors and councilmen and women. He later branched out beyond the Jewish community, and began to produce images of businessmen and leaders from the Italian community in Toronto.

In addition to the paid contracts involving local personalities and groups, Al Gilbert has also produced many artistic portraits of local, national and international celebrities, artists and leaders such as: Wayne and Shuster, Howie Mandel, Oscar Peterson, Frank Sinatra, Duke Ellington, Robertson Davies, several Canadian prime ministers as well as Prince Charles, all of the Israeli prime ministers, which were made into stamps by the Israeli government, and finally, the last Pope. Gilbert’s work therefore captures a huge range of individuals from the ordinary bride to extraordinary world leaders.

Al has won many awards as well as accolades from his peers throughout his career. He is the three-time recipient of the prestigious Professional Photographers of Canada (PPOC) Photographer of the year honour. He has been named Fellow of the photographic societies in Canada, Britain and the United States. In 1990, he was awarded the Order of Canada. In January 2007, the Professional Photographers of America presented him with their Lifetime Achievement Award. This award is the highest honor PPA can bestow on a person for their body of work and influence on professional photography.

Use Conditions

Copyright is not held by the Ontario Jewish Archives. It is the responsibility of the researcher to obtain permission prior to use.

Accession consists of photographs and two certificates documenting the experiences of Ralf Tuchman and his friends and family during and after the Second World War. Included are portraits of Ralf, an image of Ralf aboard a ship, and photographs of Ralf and his family in Montreal. Also included is one identity card of Ralf's cousin, Mayer Patron, who lived in the United States, and one certificate of death from Dachau Concentration Camp for Heinrich Dombeck, a relative of Ralf's mother whose maiden name was Dombeck.

Administrative History

Raphael (Ralf) Tuchman was born in Poland around 1930 or 1932. During the Second World War, Ralf and his family were held in Concentration Camps. Soon after being liberated, Ralf moved to Israel and fought in the 1948 war.

After learning two of his four brothers, Leon (Lable) and Lewis (Lazar), were living in New Jersey, Ralf came to Canada to meet them. He could not afford the return trip back to Israel and decided to stay in Canada after meeting his future wife. He lived in Montreal making fur coats.

Use Conditions

Copyright is held by the Ontario Jewish Archives. Please contact the Archives to obtain permission prior to use.

Accession consists of bound memoir of Cohen's experiences during the Second World War, writings on Lieutenant Theodore Herman as well as two photographs.

Administrative History

Kelman Cohen is a Second World War veteran of the Royal Hamilton Light Infantry. Cohen was born in Toronto, the second child of Morris Cohen and Esther Minden. Morris, a carpenter, immigrated from Russia in 1912 and Esther immigrated from Russian that same year with her parents to Hamilton. The two met in 1920, married and lived in Toronto. They had a daughter, Jacqueline in 1921, and Kelman in 1925. Cohen joined the Royal Canadian Engineers Reserve Unit at the Exhibition Armories at the age of sixteen. In May 1944, at the age of eighteen, he joined the regular army and was placed in basic training at Brantford, Ontario with the Canadian Infantry Corps. He was sent overseas to England in December 1944 and saw action in Belgium, France and Germany.

Accession consists of textual records documenting the formation and activities of the Ontario Jewish Archives. Included is correspondence from the Canadian Jewish Congress regarding the formation of a communtiy archives, memos, a pamphlet outlining volunteer opportunities in the Jewish community, newsclippings, an event invitation, a survey of other Jewish historical societies and archives in Canada, a report of a tour of the Presbyterian Church Archives, and agendas, meeting minutes and correspondence of the Archives Restructuring and Vision Committee.

Accession consists of one VHS tape of a documentary entitled "A Man of Conscience", which details the life of Morris Saxe. The film was directed by Cayle Chernin and produced by Cayle Chernin and David Fleishman, the grandson of Saxe.

Custodial History

This videocassette was collected by Stephen Speisman and found with other unaccessioned videos at the OJA. The donor was contacted and agreed to formally donate the video to us.

Use Conditions

Copyright is not held by the Ontario Jewish Archives. It is the responsibility of the researcher to obtain permission prior to use.

Accession consists of records documenting the life and career of Morton Shulman as well as the Saxe family. Included in the Shulman records are photographs and slides, correspondence, newsletters, scripts for The Shulman Files, biographical material, writings and speeches, political constituency material, promotional literature for his books, diplomas and certificates, event invitations, scrapbooks and newsclippings. The Saxe family records consist of photographs, event invitations, diplomas and certificates and biographical material.

Custodial History

Records were in the possession of Dianne Saxe, the daughter of Morton Shulman and the wife of Stewart Saxe.

Administrative History

Morton Shulman (1925-2000) was a coroner, an MPP, a physician and an all-around controversial public figure.

Morton Shulman was born in Toronto April 2, 1925, son of David Shulman (?-1947) and Netty Wintrope Schwartz (1898-1985). He was educated at North Toronto Collegiate and received an MD from the University of Toronto in 1948. On 30 May 1950, Shulman married Gloria Bossin, daughter of Isadore and Lena Bossin. They had two children, Dianne and Jeffrey.

Shulman began his career by practising medicine and was first appointed to the Coroner's Office in 1952. He became Chief Coroner for the Municipality of Metropolitan Toronto in 1963. Shulman was elected to the Ontario Legislature in 1967 as the NDP MPP for Toronto's High Park riding and was e-elected in 1971. Publicly he called himself a "socialist millionaire" and authored several books on investment strategies, including Anyone Can Make a Million (1966), The Billion Dollar Windfall (1972), and How to Invest and Profit from Inflation (1979). He also wrote The Coroner (1971) and Member of the Legislature (1973). Shulman also wrote a regular column for the Toronto Sun and hosted a television show call The Shulman Files (1976-1983) on City-TV.

During the 1960s, Shulman's use of the Office of Chief Coroner to lead crusades against the establishment led to his being removed from the position in 1967. A Royal Commission, led by Mr. Justice William Parker, was struck in 1967 to investigate Shulman's allegations that officials in the Attorney-General's Department had suppressed evidence, funds were being wasted, and discrimination influenced appointments of coroners. In 1970, another commission under Mr. Justice Campbell Grant was struck to investigate Shulman's allegations of improper relationships between some employees of the OPP and particular individuals associated with underground criminal activities. Shulman's career as the outspoken Chief Coroner for Metropolitan Toronto was the inspiration for the CBC dramatic television series Wojeck.

After being diagnosed with Parkinson's Disease in the early 1980s, Shulman was successful in establishing a business and charitable trust to speed up Health Canada's approval and import of Deprenyl, a drug used in the treatment of Parkinson's Disease. In recognition of his multi-faceted career and public life of advocacy and generosity, Morton Shulman received the Order of Canada in 1993. He died in Toronto on August 17, 2000.
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Stewart Saxe is the son of Percy Saxe and Bernice Cohen and the grandson of Morris Saxe, who was responsible for the founding of the Jewish Farm School in Georgetown. Stewart Saxe is currently a lawyer and is married to Dianne (Shulman) Saxe, an environmental lawyer and the daughter of Morty and Gloria Shulman.

Use Conditions

No publication without donor's approval. Morton Shulman's personal correspondence is closed to researchers. Donor must be contacted prior to viewing.

Accession consists of one DVD copy of a July 1985 interview of Dr. Stephen Speisman by the donor, recorded at the TJC Archives. Dr. Speisman discusses his family's connections with the Gold family because of their common background in Ostrow, Poland. He also talks about the socialist views of many Jewish immigrants, the factors influencing their desire to emigrate in the First World War era, their early experiences learning English, the reasons for Anglicizing their names, and the cultural values that Polish Jews brought to Canadian life.

Accession consists of one scrapbook documenting the Supreme Court of Canada case between Bernard Wolf, Annie Noble and property owners at the Beach O' Pines resort regarding antisemitic restrictive property covenants. The scrapbook includes news clippings, correspondence, CJC Public Relations Information bulletins, one photograph of Wolf, factums of court proceedings and a resolution of London's B'nai Brith Lodge #1012. Also included are event programmes and invitations that do not appear related to the court case.

Accession consists of one photograph of the sign from the Eastern Children of Israel Synagogue, located on Parliament Street, just north of Shuter Street in Toronto. The sign is in the shape of an arc and is situated on the second floor of a brick building between two windows. It is written in Hebrew and mentions both the Synagogue and a Talmud Torah.

Custodial History

The photograph was in the possession of Dr. Dorothy Pullan. She mailed it to the OJA in September 2011.

Administrative History

The Eastern Children of Israel Synagogue (Bnai Israel Hamizrachim or Eastern Children's Congregation) was founded in a house on Berkeley Street before the First World War. Its first synagogue was built at 177-179 Berkeley Street and officially opened in 1918. A Talmud Torah was later added onto the back. The synagogue was bulldozed in 1960 to make way for the Moss Park housing project, although the land sat vacant until 1962. The synagogue subsequently moved to 270 Parliament street until 1962, just north of Shuter Street, but is no longer in existence.

Accession consists of records documenting the activities and the membership of the Pomegranate Guild of Judaic Textiles, Toronto. Included are meeting minutes, agendas, newsletters, program and event materials, slides, and audio-visual materials documenting Guild events.

Custodial History

The records were in the possession of Harriet Liebman, the Guild's archivist. They were donated to the archives by the immediate past president, Rikki Blitt.

Administrative History

The Pomegranate Guild of Judaic Textiles was formed in 1982 for those interested in studying and creating textile art and needlework based on Jewish themes. The Guild charges a yearly membership, which supports its programming, exhibits, and newsletter entitled "The Pomegramme".

Use Conditions

Full citation crediting the Pomegranate Guild of Judaic Textiles, Toronto must appear in all publications alongside the OJA's required caption.

Accession consists of a small silver plate trophy presented each year by the United Jewish Welfare Fund to the division with the largest percentage of new givers. It was named after J. Irving Oelbaum, who was a former President of the Fund. The first recipient division in 1945 was the Women's Division, followed by the University Students Division, the Metropolitan Division, Youth Division and the Young Men's Division.

Custodial History

The custodial history of this item is unknown. It belonged to the United Jewish Welfare Fund and thus was most likely transferred to the Archives by UJA Federation of Greater Toronto. It was in a box at the back of the vault and was discovered during a sweep of the vault.

Accession consists of recrods related to UJA's Tomorrow Campaign. Documented is the Central and Lebovic campus facilities including the United Synagogue Day School at Lebovic, the Central Campus Cultural facility plans such as the Canadian Jewish Museum, She'arim, and the Lebovic Campus Educational Committee. Records include reports (including the Lord Consulting Cultural report), meeting minutes, correspondence, business plans and other planning documents.

Custodial History

Records were in the possession of Shirley Worth, director of donor development at UJA Federation of Greater Toronto

Use Conditions

UJA Federation meeting minutes and general correspondence are closed for 10 years from date of creation. Contracts and donor agreements are permanently closed.

Accession consists of records documenting Lillian Troster's role as president of the Eglinton Chapter B'nai Brith and as the Israel Bonds chairman for B'nai Brith District One. Included are meeting minutes, correspondence, membership lists, The Tattler newsletters, certificates, fundraising material, convention proceedings, flyers, invitations, speeches, and one match book of the Lieutenant Governor of Ontario.

Accession consists of three photographs documenting the Franklin family of Toronto, an early and prominent family of the Jewish community. The photographs consist of of the wedding dinner of Annie Franklin and Elias Robinson (12 June 1916) as well as two exterior views of A. Franklin, the pawn and bicycle repair shop with Franklin family members standing outside.

Custodial History

These items were discovered in the processing room. Their custodial history is unknown, although it is certain that they arrived at the Archives prior to 2001. They were assigned this accession number by the archivist.

4/18/2012: the original accession form was found for these photographs, donated in 1977, but an accession number had never been assigned at the time.

Abraham began as a picture frame dealer on York Street, later becoming a second hand clothing store owner with his wife on Queen Street West. By 1890, Abraham had established a jewellery store named Franklin Brothers, with his sons Jacob and Henry, and by the early 1910s also owned A. Franklin & Sons. The two businesses continued to operate simultaneously as a pawn shop, a jewellery store, and even a bicycle repair shop.

The Franklin family owned many large plots of valuable land in downtown Toronto, which they leased out to individuals and businesses, including Eaton's. Their land was located on the north side of Albert Street from James Street to Bay Street; along Gerrard Street from Yonge to Elizabeth streets; and along Walton Street from Yonge to Elizabeth streets. Later, the children inherited the property held by their parents, which had extended around the Queen Street West and Portland Avenue area.

In 1916, stemming from family concerns over her upcoming marriage to Elias Robinson, Annie Franklin transferred ownership of her portion of the inherited Franklin estate to her brothers, Henry, Hyman, and Simon for a cost of $25,000 to be held in trust for her.

Accession consists of born-digital images and digital scans of original photographs depicting the 2005 closing ceremonies of the Beth El Synagogue in Cornwall as well as exterior and interior images of the synagogue, the congregants, community events and B'nai Brith members.

Custodial History

The photographs were acquired by the OJA for the Ontario's Small Jewish Communities exhibit, but they were never accessioned until February 2012.

Accession consists of scanned photographs documenting George Wharton's early life and family. Included are images of George as an infant, George and his family outside their home in Orillia, and George and his family at various Toronto landmarks, such as High Park and the Toronto Island. Also included is a photograph of George's father and grandfather in London, ON [192-?].

Custodial History

The photographs were in the custody of George Wharton. He loaned them to the OJA for scanning and the originals were returned to him.

Administrative History

George Wharton was born in Toronto at the old Mt. Sinai Hospital on October 18, 1940. He is the oldest of the four children of Thomas and Sarah Wharton. George has two brothers, Michael and Arthur, and one sister, Marion.

George’s mother, Sarah Lipovitch (1913-2006) was born in the Jewish shtetl within Ivansk, Poland. Her family arrived in Canada in the summer of 1914 and settled in London Ontario, where her father eventually established a dry-goods store. Sarah was the youngest of five children, some of which later anglicized their family names to Lipton or Leech. Other than the fact that Sarah’s grandfather owned a bakery in Ivansk, little is known about the prior history of her family.

Thomas Wilbur Wharton (1908-1996) was born in London, Ontario. His Wharton ancestors had a very long and colorful history in England and colonial British America. He was the oldest of the four children of Arthur James Wharton and Lulubelle Wharton (nee Doolittle). His sisters were; Clara, May and Constance (Connie). Born in Canada in 1882, Tom’s father Arthur had joined the army in 1899 and fought in the Boer War within the contingent of Canadians that were part of the British Army in South Africa. After returning to Canada he joined the Royal North-West mounted Police, riding circuit in Northern Alberta. After Arthur’s marriage to Lulu, the couple settled in London where Arthur joined the local police force. Tom and his sisters were born here. At the outbreak of World War One, Arthur rejoined the Canadian Army, fighting in France from 1915 to 1918. Wounded at the 1916 Battle of the Somme, he received several medals and rose to the rank of Sergeant. After the war he returned to police work, eventually becoming Chief Constable in London, Ontario.

Tom’s mother, Lulu, had been born to the Doolittle family. Her father’s family was American, but had anglicized its family name from DeLatalle, which had been used by his Métis ancestors. Lulu’s mother, and maternal grandmother, had come to America as refugees from the Irish potato famine of the mid 19th Century. They were originally from the Flanagan and O’Flaherty families, and probably from Cork.

Thomas and Sarah met in London in the late 1930’s. Contrary to the wishes of both families they married in 1938 (1939?). Shunned by both sets of parents, they moved to Toronto where Tom found war work at A.V.Roe in Malton building wings for WW II Lancaster and Mosquito bombers. Also at this time Tom officially converted to Judaism.

As wartime contracts ended in Toronto, the family moved to the town of Orillia, ON. There Tom built a small bungalow at 70 Olive Crescent on the Southern edge of the town. By 1952 there were four children. By 1954, job opportunities became quite scarce in Orillia and, finding work in Toronto, Tom soon moved the entire family here, where they purchased an older house at 248 Wellesley St. East. In 1961 they moved to a nicer home at 60 Lawrence Ave., West, near Yonge St. in North Toronto.

George’s education took place at Jarvis Collegiate and at the University of Toronto, where he met his future wife Phyllis (1945- ). They were married on October 20, 1965, while both were still at school. For several years George and Phyllis lived in rental apartments, but, in 1981, they purchased their own house at 317 Jedburgh Rd. where they lived for the next 25 years.

George’s first permanent job was at the CBC Program (radio) Archives. Here George worked from 1967 to 1975, beginning what was to be a life-long career dealing with historical documentation and specializing in audio-visual records. From 1976 to 1986 he was employed by the National Archives (now L.A.C.) with responsibility for various A/V collections then held at the Toronto Federal Records Centre in Rexdale. During 1987 and 1988 George was employed at the Archives of Ontario on a series of contracts, but in February, 1989 he was hired by the newly-created Metropolitan Toronto Archives, which opened its new facility at 255 Spadina Road in June of 1991. After the 1989 amalgamation of all Toronto municipalities, the facility was renamed City of Toronto Archives. George continued his career here until October, 2005, when he reached the then-mandatory retirement age of 65. In 2006 he was hired as a part-time contract employee of the Ontario Jewish Archives where he designed and implemented several large back-log-reduction projects where much of the processing was accomplished by the OJA’s volunteers.

George and Phyllis had two sons; Charles Jacob was born in 1973, Avrom David was born in 1979. Oldest son Charles married Rixi Abrahamson in December, 2004. Grandchildren from this marriage are: Noah Alexander Wharton (born Dec.7, 2006) and Madelaine Abigail Faye Wharton (born Jan. 15 2012).

Use Conditions

Copyright is held by the Ontario Jewish Archives. Please contact the Archives to obtain permission prior to use.

Accession consists of the records created and accumulated by Rabbi Joseph Kelman. The records detail Kelman's involvement with a number of organizations particluarly Reena, She'arim Hebrew Day School and Beth Emeth Bais Yehuda Synagogue. They also document the numerous awards and tributes he received in his life and detail his personal life. The records primarily consist of personal and professional correspondence, event invitations, photographs, newsclippings, and biographical material. There is also one file folder related to Sol Edell, the brother of the donor, and an oversized photograph of the Harbord Collegiate choral society and orchestra.

The records were in the possession of Rabbi Joseph Kelman until his death in 2009. They were donated to the Archives by his wife, Sara Edell Shafler Kelman on Feb. 1, 2012.

Administrative History

Rabbi Kelman was born in Vienna, Austria in 1927, the son of Rabbi Zvi Yehuda and Mirl Kelman and the descendent of a long line of distinguished rabbis. He immigrated to Toronto with his family at the age of three in 1930. He attended Harbord Collegiate and was ordained at Yeshiva University in New York. Beginning in 1953, Kelman became seved as a rabbi in Sherbrooke, QC, Beverley, MA, and Suffern, NY vefore accepting the pulpit at Beth Emeth Bais Yehuda Synagoge in Torotno in 1959. At the time, Beth Emeth was a small congregation in the fledgling Bathurst Manor neighbourhood. He facilitated its merging with Bais Yehuda to form BEBY, and under his guidance it grew to become the third-largest Conservative synagogue in the GTA with a membership of approximately 1,500 families.

Kelman's life work was dedicated to providing opportunities for the developmentally disabled and learning challenged in the Jewish community. He was the founder of the Ezra and Kadima Schools, the Kadima Centre, the Camp Tikvah program, the Reena Foundation, Chai Tikvah and She'arim Hebrew Day School. He also served as a chaplain in Toronto hospitals and jails.

Rabbi Kelman was the recipeint of numerous awards for his contributions to Jewish education and community service, including a honourary doctorate from Ryerson University and Tel Aviv University. The Kelman School for Jewish Education at Tel Aviv University is named in his honour. Rabbi Kelman died on June 27, 2009 at the age of 82.

Use Conditions

Copyright is held by the Ontario Jewish Archives. Please contact the Archives to obtain permission prior to use.

Accession consists of two Hadassah Daughter of Israel Chapter cookbooks from Timmins, Ontario (1960, 1967) and the Book of Jewish Recipes published by the Jewish Standard and edited by Tina Lohman (1942).

Accession consists of two copies of the original signed agreement between representatives of UJA Federation and the Israeli forum in Canada regarding the creation of a "fusion model" between the two organizations in order to better reach and represent the Israeli community in Toronto.

Custodial History

The records were transfered to the Archives by Gary Siepser, who was one of the signatories on the agreement.

Use Conditions

UJA Federation meeting minutes and general correspondence are closed for 10 years from date of creation. Contracts and donor agreements are permanently closed.

Accession consists of records created by Holy Blossom Temple. Included is an introduction book to Reform Judaism written by Rabbi Dow Marmur, a collection of three sermons by Rabbi Harvey J. Fields, various pamphlets and event notices, board nomination documents, membership renewal documents, a tribute book to Cantor Benjamin Z. Maissner, an anniversary book celebrating 125 years, two newsletters prepared by Rabbi W. Gunther Plaut, and records related to the proposed renewal of the Temple and its sanctuary.

Custodial History

It is unclear where all of these items originated. Some may have been given to the Archives in passing by Nancy Draper, an OJA volunteer. They were pulled together by the archivist and assigned this accession number.

Accession consists of publications produced by the Toronto Lodge B'nai B'rith, the Canadian District of the B'nai B'rith and the District Grand Lodge No. 22 of B'nai B'rith. Titles include the B'nai B'rith Digest, Notes to Leaders and the Covenant.

Custodial History

The provenance and custodial history for these publications is unknown. They were assigned the accession number by the archivist.

Accession consists of one photograph of the dedication of Pardes Shalom Cemetery in 1975. The photograph depicts a number of men in a field with a 3D model of the cemetery grounds. There is a tent behind them.

Custodial History

There is no information on the source or custodial history of this item. Accession number was assigned by the Archivist.

Accession consists of records related to the community involvement of Arthur and Beatrice Minden. The records include photographs and one scrapbook posthumasly presented by Keren Hayesod (United Israel Appeal) to Arthur Minden at the dedication of a kindergarten he funded in Ashdod. Also included are 21 issues of teh Jewish Record and one issue of the UJA Picture News. The photographs document the first, second and third UJA missions to Israel, a visit to a blind school in Israel, Minden's involvement with the Muscular Dystrophy Associaton, a Friend's of Haifa University luncheon, a UJA Women's campaign trip to Ottawa, the donation of a Hebrew dictionary by Ernest Klein to the University of Haifa, as well as family trips to Israel and Miami.

Custodial History

The records were in the posession of Jo-Ann Minden, the daughter of Arthur and Beatrice Minden.

Closed. Researchers must receive permission from the OJA Director and Rabbi in charge of gittin (or Chair of the Reform Rabbis of Greater Toronto) prior to accessing the records.

Descriptive Notes

Gittin are in sealed envelopes and identified by the surname(s) of parties involved. The start date assigned to this accession may not be accurate as the gittin are sealed and not all are marked with a date on the envelope.

Accession consists of textual records documenting the events and programs of the Koffler Centre of the Arts. Included are annual program guides, Jewish Book Fair brochures, invitations, and event programmes.

Custodial History

No donor information available. Archivist has assigned this accession number.

Accession consists of a photograph taken by Jack Hecker of the site of the former Agudath Israel Anshei Sfard Shul (151 Palmerston Ave.). A duplex house currently occupies the site. The text on the duplex building was added in by Jack Hecker.

Use Conditions

Copyright is held by the Ontario Jewish Archives. Please contact the Archives to obtain permission prior to use.

Accession consists of two CDs of the Jewish Foundation of Greater Toronto's Book of Life ceremonies from 2009 and 2010. The CDs feature introductions and speeches as well as individual recognition of the honourees.

Custodial History

The CDs were transferred by Janice Benatar, Senior Endowment Associate for the Jewish Foundation of Greater Toronto.

Administrative History

The Book of Life, established by the Jewish Foundation of Greater Toronto in 2003, is an ever-growing collection of stories written by donors who have left a legacy to the Jewish community by way of a bequest in their will, a life insurance policy, or with a permanent endowment fund at the Foundation. The Book of Life is stored at the Lipa Green Centre where it is also available in digital format. It is also on the internet (see http://www.feduja.org/bookoflife/)

Use Conditions

Copyright is not held by the Ontario Jewish Archives. It is the responsibility of the researcher to obtain permission prior to use.

Accession consists of 198 digital images on one CD documenting the groundbreaking, construction and dedication of the Jewish War Veterans of Canada monument on the Sherman Campus of the UJA Federation of Greater Toronto. The photographs were taken between September 11 and November 11, 2011.

Custodial History

The images were on the personal computer of Amek Adler, Vice-President of the Jewish War Veterans of Canada and chair of the monument committee. They were copied onto CD for the archives.

Use Conditions

Copyright may not be held by the Ontario Jewish Archives. It is the responsibility of the researcher to obtain permission prior to use.

Accession consists of records documenting the establishment and activities of Toronto's Holocaust Memorial and Education Centre as well as the personal life and professional activities of Gerda Frieberg. Holocaust Education Centre records include audio-visual material, sound recordings, meeting minutes, financial records, booklets and brochures, photographs and flyers. Of note is a video of the opening and dedication of the Holocaust Museum in 1985, and the sheet music and sound recordings of the musical score Gerda commissioned for the Centre by Srul Glick.

Records in the Gerda Frieberg fonds document her involvement with the Holocaust Education Centre, the Jewish Holocaust Survivors of Canada, B'nai Brith Women, the Federation of Jewish Women's organizations, and her other activities. Included are photographs, newspaper clippings, meeting minutes, and correspondence. Also included is a sound recording from a Federation of Jewish Women's Organizations event and a DVD copy of the film "Mend the World", which is a CBC documentary that features Gerda and other Toronto Holocaust survivors. The electronic images were scanned from Gerda's personal scrapbooks.

Custodial History

Records were in the possession of Gerda Frieberg until she donated them to the OJA in 2012.

Use Conditions

Copyright may not be held by the Ontario Jewish Archives. It is the responsibility of the researcher to obtain permission prior to use.

Accession consists of three photographs taken at the CJC's 26th Regional Plenary at the Lipa Green building in Toronto. Pictured in the photographs are Yehuda Lipshitz, Rose Wolfe and Robert Nixon, MPP from Ontario.

Custodial History

There is no information on the acquisition of these photographs. The accession number was assigned by the archivist.

Accession consists of leadership development award and volunteer recognition award posters. The earliest dates between 1991 and 1997 as the name reads Jewish Federation of Greater Toronto. The others are from the 2000s with the last being created in 2011.

Custodial History

These items were sent to the Archives by Jeff Springer, COO of UJA Federation of Greater Toronto.

Use Conditions

UJA Federation meeting minutes and general correspondence are closed for 10 years from date of creation. Contracts and donor agreements are permanently closed.

Accession consists of a Iroquois Falls High School year book (1940), and a minute book for Ansonville's Senior Young Judea (1934-1940). Loose correspondence and receipts are found within the pages of the minutes book.

Custodial History

The material was in the possession of Dorothy Abramson. Her daughter donated them to the OJA after Dorothy passed away.

Accession consists of 281 photographs in one album of the Quitt and Drutz families of Toronto. The photographs are family snapshots documenting life events such as births, marriages, family vacations and military service and other social gatherings.

Custodial History

The records were in the possession of Mark Drutz until they were donated to the OJA on 4 April 2012.

Administrative History

Mark Drutz is the youngest child of Harold (Hymie) and Evelyn Sandra (Quitt) Drutz. Harold (1913-1998) was born to Phillip (Fyvish) and Annie Drutz of Russia. In 1946 he married Evelyn Quitt (1924-1999), the daughter of Samuel (1891-?) and Bertha (1890-1953) Quitt, also of Russia. They had two children: Paul, who ultimately succumbed to AIDS (1947-1994) and Mark (aka Donald, 1951-). Evelyn and Harold also helped to raise Paul's son and their grandson, Ezra Matthew (1975-).

Harold worked in the garment trade as a pattern cutter and also served in the Canadian Medical Corps during the Second World War. He was one of 7 children, his siblings being: Meyer, Daniel, Harry (Drue), David, Pauline and Mollie (Simmons). Evelyn was one of 5 chidren, her siblings being: Estelle (Drue - married Harold's brother Harry), Rivka (Smolkin), Gordon (Gerhson), and Beverley (Brown).

Descriptive Notes

Finding aid is located with the photographs along with genealogical information prepared by the donor.

Accession consists of textual and graphic material documenting Albert Edelstein's involvement with the Labour Zionist Youth group (Habonim Dror) and the Frontier Branch of the Labour Zionist Alliance-Toronto. Included are programmes, Fundraising material, a meeting notice, a Frontier News bulletin, and a Frontier Branch 513 anniversary booklet. Also included is a composite copy photograph of members of the Jewish National Workers Alliance (1941) and photographs of a Habonim reunion that took place in 1983. Finally accession also includes an issue of Congregation Beth Hamidrash Hagadol's bulletin "The Shofar" (1945).

Accession consists of textual and graphic material documenting Murray Page's involvement in the Don Mills B'nai Brith Lodge. Included is a copy of the Lodge's charter, a photograph of the B'nai Brith bowling league (1960-1961), an invitation, an issue of the "2131 News" newsletter, and a 25th anniversary booklet.

Custodial History

Records were in the possession of Murray Page's wife when they were donated to the OJA.

Accession consists of records documenting the literary and military careers of Leo Heaps, as well as a small selection of family photographs and textual records. Included are various manuscripts and other writings, newsclippings and documents related to Heaps' role as a British paratrooper and his subsequent awarding of the Royal Military Cross. The photographs document the Heaps family, as well as the underground resistance movement in Arnhem, of which he was a part.

The videocassette documents a family trip to Arnhem in 1994 to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the Battle of Arnhem.

Photo Caption (038): Gilbert Sadi-Kirschen known, head of the Special Air Service mission to Arnhem, [194-?]. Ontario Jewish Archives, Blankenstein Family Heritage Centre, accession 2012-4-2. Courtesy of the Heaps Family.

Photo Caption (046): Major Tony Hibbot (left) about to take off for Arnhem, [194-?]. Ontario Jewish Archives, Blankenstein Family Heritage Centre, accession 2012-4-2. Courtesy of the Heaps Family.

Custodial History

The records were in the possession of Adrian Heaps, son of Leo Heaps.

Administrative History

Leo Heaps (1923-1995) was born in Winnipeg in 1923, the son of A. A. Heaps and Bessie Morris. His father A. A. was a founder of the Co-operative Commonwealth Federation, the forerunner of the New Democratic Party. Leo Heaps was raised in Winnipeg and received an education at Queen's University, the University of California, and McGill University. During the Second World War, at the age of 21, Heaps was seconded to the British Army and found himself commanding the 1st Battalion's Transport. He participated in the Battle of Arnhem as a paratrooper.

Leo Heaps was awarded the Royal Military Cross for his work with the Dutch Resistance. His brother, David, had also achieved the same distinction, thereby making them the only Jewish brothers during the Second World War to win the decoration. After the war, Heaps went to Israel and aided their army in the establishment of mobile striking units. Whilst there, he met his wife-to-be, Tamar (1927-). Together they had one son, Adrian, and three daughters, Karen, Gillian, and Wendy.

During the Hungarian Revolution he led a special rescue team to bring refugees out and across the border. In the mid-1960s he returned to Britain where he dabbled in various entrepreneurial projects as well as writing several books, notably "The Grey Goose of Arnhem", telling his own story of Arnhem, the aftermath of the battle, and also the stories of other Arnhem evaders and their dealings with the Resistance.

Leo Heaps spent most of his life in Toronto, Canada, and was amongst the forty Canadian veterans who returned to Arnhem in 1994 to mark the 50th anniversary. He died in 1995.

Use Conditions

Copyright may not be held by the Ontario Jewish Archives. It is the responsibility of the researcher to obtain permission prior to use.